5 Steps to Feeling Good

Posted on October 1, 2015 by - Movement + Mindfulness, News, Nutrition + Food

Feelings. The senses. Our emotions. Being aware of your feelings can have a directly positive influence on your health and well-being. I’ll share a couple of exercises with you here, visual and physical, to help you hone that influential connection between feelings and health.

For more detailed information about this and other topics, consider subscribing to our Nutrition + Health video library, which gives you access to all of the videos of classes I’ve presented on nutrition and health.

For now, let’s look at connecting to your feelings. Here is a very effective visualization exercise for you to try.  To prepare, begin by writing any physical symptoms that cause you discomfort. Also write down a few things that symbolize your ideal of wellbeing (for example, clear thinking).

Now, look at the first item on your symptoms list. With that in mind:

  1. Connect to the symptom. Close your eyes, breathe easily and allow any feelings, emotions and/or images related to this symptom and this part of your body to rise up, without judgment.
  2. Connect with the feeling or image. Clearly identify what’s coming up for you. What are you feeling? (For example, “My knee gives me pain when I walk; it makes me feel unworthy, and incapable of moving forward.”)
    Stay with the feeling. Resist avoiding it and instead just be there with it, allowing it to exist for what it is. Be open to what it has to teach you. Then open your eyes slowly and write down the feelings that came up for you.
  3. Track the feeling to its origin. Close your eyes again and return to the feeling or image. Once it’s clear in your mind, ask yourself: Where is this coming from? When have I felt this before? Does it relate to a past experience?
  4. Learn from the feeling. How is this feeling or image preventing you from enjoying optimal health? What past experience or belief is standing in the way of you feeling your best? What is the payoff for you holding onto this feeling? What can you learn from it? What will it take for you to resolve this feeling, or dissolve this image? What do you have to let go of in order to change?
  5. Take action. You have the power to decide to let go of this feeling.

Repeat these steps with something from your list that symbolizes wellbeing, shifting the focus in step 4 to what is preventing you from having the sense of wellbeing that the image or feeling gives you. What barriers are in the way? And what is the payoff to staying within those boundaries?

You may want to repeat this for other symptoms of disease and symbols of vitality on different days, focusing in on one pairing at a time.

This also relates to a physical exercise I want to share with you. The exercise is part of the body of our work. The following video takes you through this simple exercise, called “recapitulation”. This word in our work means to look back to the past to the root experiences of behaviors and beliefs that are blocking you in the present. Recapitulate, as defined in Merriam-Webster and how we use here, means: “To give new form or expression to.”

6 Windows to Perception: Overcome Sensory Overload and Optimize Your Awareness

Posted on September 15, 2015 by - Movement + Mindfulness, News, Nutrition + Food

The senses are our windows to the world. They give us information that we use to stay safe, interact with others, experience our world and understand life (the hallmark of our species).

The challenge is that we’re so constantly bombarded with a stunning array of input, that most of us suffer from sensory overload. What we register consciously at any given moment is but a fraction of what is coming at us. So what should we pay attention to? How do we prioritize? How can we focus on what is important and ignore the rest?

The art of developing our attention is perhaps more important than ever before in human history because we are faced with more sensory information than ever before.

We do have a natural filter, the reticular activating system (RAS), that enables us to sort out what information to pay attention to and what to prune so that we don’t go crazy. Moreover, it is a filter that is trainable. We can consciously engage our awareness to manage our sensory perceptions.

An important thing to understand is that our beliefs and past experiences shape how we filter sensory input. The great news about this is that we can focus on the senses to quiet the mind (and vice versa) to affect our interpretation of what we are sensing. We can free ourselves from belief systems that don’t serve our overall wellness to activate a greater awareness of what is both seeable and un-seeable around us.

The eyes are especially important. They are often more fatigued by overstimulation than any other sense organ. We make countless decisions each day based on what our eyes are telling us. There is a voluminous amount of information to process. Computers, smart phones and TVs vie for our attention and cloud our visual sensibilities.

Relaxing is a key thing for all of our senses, in fact. When we can quiet down the way we normally use our senses, we make way for opening to a more expansive way of interpreting sensory data. When you relax your eyes, for example, you’re able to see other aspects of the world. When your eyes become silent, you can see silence. This is true of all five senses. It is also a key for waking up the 6th sense.

When we activate our 6th sense, we have the capacity to apprehend what isn’t commonly available to us—something that we sometimes feel in our gut or our heart.Nutrition 2015_Featured_2

I’ll talk more about the 6th sense and how to cultivate it on Saturday. I hope you can join me!

Cool It Down! Foods to Eat for Summer Vitality

Posted on August 6, 2015 by - Acupuncture + Herbs, News, Nutrition + Food

We’re thinking about longevity lately, and sustainability.

Can what you eat really make a difference to your longevity? Yes! In fact, your daily food choices affect your mood and health both in the moment and well down the road.

First and foremost, aim to eat according to the season. This is a key for aging with vitality. It gives your body the necessary nutrients to function at its best at any given time.

In the summer heat, it’s smart to focus on cooling foods. In fact, in both the spring and summer, you want to nourish your yang energy and eat foods that are cooling by nature. Whereas the fall and winter are the yin-predominant seasons—so when we move into the fall season (just around the corner!), it will be time to nourish your yin energy with warming foods. 

Spring and Summer Diet

For those of you in the southern hemisphere, or when the season turns for us here in the north, keep these recommendations in mind.

Springtime is a perfect time to nourish the liver, and do our Detox Program!

Also, you’ll want to eat pungent foods to help your liver—ginger, onion, garlic and chives are good. But avoid excessively spicy, hot, greasy, fried and sour foods throughout the spring and summer.

Though you want to eat cooling foods during the spring and summer months, note that it’s best to avoid ice water (ice water damages the stomach energy). Instead focus on foods with cooling energy, like cucumber, watermelon, celery, tomatoes, strawberries and mung beans.

Recommended Foods for the Season                      
  • Vitamin C
  • Cucumber
  • Melons
  • Squash
  • Celery (juice is great)
  • Jicama
  • Zucchini
  • Corn
  • Water chestnuts
  • Aloe vera
  • Beets
  • Watercress
  • Clam or oyster shell soup
 Foods to Avoid
  • Barbecued, toasted, baked foods
  • greasy and/or fried foods
  • hot spices
  • alcohol
  • coffee (replace with green tea)

Fall and Winter Diet    

As we move into the cooler months, it will be time to focus on warming our bodies. A simple and enjoyable way to do this is to eat more soups and stews. Walnuts and lamb are also excellent foods for the season (lamb is the most warming of all red meats).

Especially during the fall, favor sour foods and avoid spicy foods. Incorporate more pears, yams, aloe vera, soy and honey into your diet.

Recommended Foods for the Season                                        
  • Baked or roasted foods
  • Meats–game meats and lamb are best
  • Ginger, cardamom, fennel, clove, scallions, anise, pepper
  • Cherries
  • Walnuts
  • Seeds (any kind)
  • Green beans
  • Chinese chives
  • Horseradish
  • Azuki beans
  • Supplement with green algae or chlorophyll powder (2 spoonfuls)
Foods to Avoid
  • cold, raw foods
  • dairy products

800px-Celery_1We think these tips will help keep you balanced throughout the seasons, which is a key to a long and healthy life.

For more in-depth nutrition and health information, we invite you to participate in our Nutrition + Health classes—these classes are taught live online about once a month.

Our next class airs live on September 19 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, and will be all about the senses.

Yours in health,
Dr. Miles Reid

 

The Fountain of Youth: 3 Ancient Formulas that Work

Posted on August 3, 2015 by - Acupuncture + Herbs, News

Some things stand the test of time, while others fade away. When it comes to staying youthful, Chinese Medicine offers an herbal treasure trove for our bustling modern lives. What’s more, Chinese herbs can be used together with key nutritional supplements for broad support of your health and longevity.

The following supplements, herbs and herbal formulas are safe, yet potent, and some even have a centuries-long track record. Incorporating some of these into your daily routine may be an investment that pays huge dividends.

From Vitamin D and calcium to ginseng and Zhi Shi, these powerhouse products reduce inflammation, strengthen the organs and more to slow and even reverse biological aging. (Of course, check with your doctor before taking any nutritional supplements or herbs—you’re always welcome to contact our clinic for an in-person or Zoom consultation.

Nutritional Supplements

These supplements, taken in a split dose, half in the morning and half in the evening, have been proven effective in reducing inflammation, regulating cortisol and more.

  • Vitamin D3 (1000 IU)
  • Calcium (600 mg)
  • Magnesium (200 mg)
  • Multivitamin (we like Usana Essentials)

Chinese Herbal Formulas

The following are also recommended in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and have proven their worth over time:

  • Gingseng
  • Cordyceps
  • Ashwaganda
  • Reishi mushroom
  • Astragalus
  • Schizandra

In fact, TCM provides a deep well of knowledge with respect to anti-aging and longevity, with herbal formulas that are tailored for maximum effect. These are three of my favorites:

  • Zhi Shi (circulatory promoter)
  • Mu Xiang (circulatory promoter)
  • Shan Zha (digestive herb)

For the ideal supplements and dosages for you, contact us to schedule a consultation. Acupuncture treatments work in conjunction with supplementation to promote youthful energy, and address specific health concerns.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a remarkably powerful tool for restoring balance, maintaining health and promoting longevity. It stimulates the flow of qi (energy), improves organ function, reduces inflammation, regulates hormones and relaxes the mind and body.

To schedule your consultation or acupuncture treatment, contact us.

Also, check out our Nutrition + Health class series for the latest information and tips on a variety of topics.

To your longevity,
Dr. Miles Reid

The Truth about Detoxification

Posted on July 27, 2015 by - Detox, News, Nutrition + Food

Are you thinking about doing a cleanse? Everywhere we turn these days, we see cleanses and detox programs being promoted. The truth is that not all programs are created equal. A proper detoxification program can be greatly beneficial. But some cleanses actually do more harm than good.

Why Detoxify?

A good detox program is energizing and rejuvenating.

We’re exposed to toxins every day—in our food and water (pesticides, heavy metals, microbes), in the air we breathe, from things we come into contact with through our skin (soaps, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, lead paint) and from our body’s own natural metabolic process. This toxic load can become a toxic overload.

Given this, I believe that periodic detoxification is important. Our organs are constantly trying to repair and regenerate, and we can help them do this by removing toxic obstructions. Any excess toxicity that you can shed can make a difference in your life. But therein lies the difference between a proper detoxification regime and one that is harmful. Some cleanses actually impair your body’s ability to eliminate toxins.

What to Avoid

Avoid juice-only cleanses. Why? A juice cleanse may seem like a good idea, but the truth is that doing such a cleanse without proper nutritional support can make you very ill. This is because when you fast or consume fruits and vegetables only, you diminish your body’s ability to rid itself of toxins. Amino acids are essential for liver detoxification. If you are consuming only juice, you may flush out toxins in your system that it then has inadequate ability to eliminate. It will pull amino acids from your muscles in order to deal with this, which can cause loss of muscle mass.

Other problems that can arise from some cleansing programs include blood sugar imbalances and fatigue.

Benefits of a Good Program

A good detoxification program will suggest you avoid foods and beverages that cause inflammation. It will also include proper nutritional support. Having physician support, as with our Detox Program, is also highly recommended.

The benefits of a good program include:

  • Greater energy
  • Clearer mind
  • Improved circulation
  • Glowing skin
  • Good sleep
  • Healthy weight loss

You can also purchase our 21-Day Detox Program to do at home.

Sweet Summer Slumber: 7 Foods for Better Sleep

Posted on July 25, 2015 by - News, Nutrition + Food

Sleeping well is a struggle for some of us throughout the year, but the summer season can really turn up the heat on nighttime tossing and turning. To help, we have some recommendations for what to eat and what not to eat to invite blissful slumber any time of year.

Let’s focus here on food. Food plays a key role in how well (or not) you sleep. The first thing is to avoid eating a heavy meal too close to bed time—say within three hours of going to bed.  Eating too much late at night puts a strain on your liver, and you might find yourself waking up between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. and having difficulty falling back to sleep.

That said, it is good to include some quality protein in your evening meal, especially if you tend toward low blood sugar. So what other foods can help and hinder sleep?

We’ve found that these seven foods encourage better sleep:

  • Banana
  • Cherries
  • Oatmeal
  • Whole grain cereal
  • Almond milk or soymilk
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Lean turkey

A yummy, sleep-promoting evening dessert, for example, would be to blend a banana with some almond milk into a thick and frothy drink; you could even throw in some cherries and/or a date or two for extra sweetness. If it’s an especially hot evening, you might even want to make this with a frozen banana for a satisfying ice-creamlike dessert.

Just as there are foods that promote good sleep, there are also foods that prevent it. These are:

  • Alcohol (which can lead to fragmented sleep)
  • Nicotine prior to bedtime
  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Salt

In addition to the foods to eat and to avoid, you might try giving yourself that extra push toward a restful sleep with a cup of warm chamomile tea. Chamomile, valerian, linden and passionflower all act as natural sleep aids.

Speaking of herbs, one of our favorite sleep inducers is lavender essential oil. You can put a few drops of lavender on your pillow or into a warm bath, or put just a drop on your temples. Not only does it smell wonderful, but you just might find that it relaxes and eases you into a peaceful sleep.

Wishing you sweet dreams,
Dr. Miles Reid

How to Be Flexible to Stay Strong

Posted on July 20, 2015 by - Acupuncture + Herbs, Movement + Mindfulness, News, Nutrition + Food

Movement. Energy. Health. Vitality. It’s all tied together. We think it’s important to take the whole into consideration. But to understand the whole, you must look at the parts, and vice versa.

Movement is a key part of what we teach in our classes and workshops because movement, in one way or another, is a fundamental part of life, and a key for staying healthy and happy.

We want to cultivate flexible movement. To be flexible is also to be strong.

In a presentation during one of our Nutrition + Health classes this year, our colleague Jordan Hoffman shared some philosophy and simple exercises of Aikido. Jordan is a longtime Aikido practitioner, and 2nd Degree black belt, in addition to being an outstanding acupuncturist. He shared some valuable insights.

Because the class theme was bones, tendons and muscles, Jordan spoke about keeping the tendons and ligaments nice and open, and how this enables energy to flow throughout the body.  In every healthy joint there is space. That space allows for comfortable, easy movement. When we’re stressed, tight or tense, we tend to contract, reducing that space, which results in more tightness and tension. This also slows us down, and creates an environment ripe for injury. But if we’re supple, we can move faster with more fluidly and grace. When presented with an obstacle, the more supple we are, the better we can navigate in the situation.

Think about the branch of a young tree. You can bend it and it won’t break; it remains flexible; but an old branch can snap. Just so, we want to keep our bones and joints supple. We want to be able to move easily with the winds of change and challenge.

An inspiring example of flexibility and grace at any age is Aikido’s founder, Morihei Ueshiba (December 14, 1883 – April 26, 1969). In this video from 1935, these qualities, and more, are made clear.

Here, you can see his last public demonstration, in 1969, at the age of 85 (it’s a little fuzzy, but nonetheless worth watching).

So how can we embody this? What can we do to meet the challenges of life with power and grace? We can start with awareness.

At the end of every day, you might notice that you feel shorter, tighter, contracted, more compressed. Cultivating awareness is an important step in remaining strong yet flexible. Hold the image in your mind of spaciousness in your joints. Think of elongating your spine. If you’re standing and notice that your knees are locked, soften them, letting the energy flow through the joint and through your body.

To your health, strength and suppleness,
Dr. Miles Reid

8 Great Reasons to Meditate Today

Posted on July 13, 2015 by - Movement + Mindfulness, News

You can enjoy positive effects from even just one meditation, and the long-term benefits multiply with continued practice.

Recent studies show that meditation not only reduces stress—which would certainly be enough reason to try it—but it actually affects our DNA, protecting the life of our cells and slowing aging. One study showed that just one meditation session can have a positive impact.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health.”

Scientists are just beginning to understand how and why meditation works, but its mental, physical and emotional benefits have been appreciated since ancient times.  It has been proven to lower stress and to help combat illnesses such as:

 

  • Cancer
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Asthma
  • Depression
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Pain
  • Sleep problems

The greatest benefit comes from a daily practice, and there are many forms of meditation to try. From Mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation to Tai Chi and yoga, it can involve movement or stillness, attention or transcendence.

Meditation is something that helps you turn the volume down internally, and shift away from the stress response toward a parasympathetic response. It may include breathing in a purposeful way, using guided imagery and your imagination or focusing on an object. I often coach patients in meditation techniques to address their particular situation.

The effects can be very powerful.

Here are eight scientifically proven benefits of meditation:

  1. Stronger immunity. Multiple studies show that meditation improves immunity in a variety of ways, from boosting antibodies to slowing down the production of CD-4 cell counts to stimulating the brain areas that control the immune system.
  2. Less pain. Meditation can reduce the experience of pain and lower activity in the brain’s pain-processing regions.
  3. Stronger and faster mental function. Meditation strengthens the connection between brain cells and may lead to increased gyrification (cortical activity linked to the brain’s ability to process information more quickly).
  4. Brain restructuring. It’s amazing to consider, but meditation can change your brain structure—brain scans of longtime meditators show increased gray matter, which is associated with intelligence, sensory perception, emotional stability and stress response.
  5. Increased learning ability. Research shows that students who meditate have better test scores, improved attendance rate, increased intelligence and creativity and less stress.
  6. Emotional stability. It appears that when exposed to stress, long-time meditataors show less activity in the right amygdala—the part of the brain that plays a key role in processing emotions.
  7. Better focus. A University of Washington study conducted by Dr. David Levy showed that those who are trained in meditation experience less negative emotion in multi-tasking tests and can switch tasks less often and more effectively. Meditators also showed improved task-related memory.
  8. Weight control. It turns out that meditation can actually help reduce belly fat. Increased stress increases certain hormone activity that can lead to weight gain, and study after study shows that meditation can significantly reduce the body’s response to stress as well as increase serotonin, a hormone that influences sleep, mood and appetite.

Meditation, in whatever form we choose, can play an effective and enjoyable role in our health and wellbeing.

7 Foods (and a Recipe!) to Strengthen Your Joints

Posted on July 6, 2015 by - News, Nutrition + Food

Create a strong foundation for health by nourishing your bones, muscles and tendons. Not only can you do this in simple ways, you can also do this in delicious ways.

These seven common foods can help revitalize your joints and tendons:

  • Tomatoes
  • Kale
  • Eggplant
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Blackberries
  • Basil
  • Brussels Sprouts

The bonus? This is the season for most of these fruits and vegetables—at least in California. Head to your local grocery, farmer’s market or even your own garden to gather up ingredients for a supercharged meal.

Here is a tasty, easy recipe that incorporates some of these key ingredients. For more nutrition tips, purchase past videos from our online store.

Summer Garden Pasta
Serves 4

Pair this with a raw kale, shaved Brussels sprout and blackberry salad, and you’ve got the perfect meal for joint health.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium eggplant (1 lb), cut into ½-inch dice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch for the pasta water
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes, stems removed
  • 8 plum tomatoes (1 ¼ lbs), peeled, cored and quartered
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 4 red bell peppers
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 lb spaghetti or perciatelli
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated or shaved

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine eggplant, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan.
  3. In a second baking pan, place all tomatoes and garlic cloves.
  4. Transfer both pans to heated oven. Roast garlic and tomatoes until garlic is soft and tomatoes are shriveled, about 30 minutes. Roast eggplant until brown and tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
  5. When cool enough to handle, squeeze soft garlic from cloves.
  6. Meanwhile, place peppers over a gas burner with a high flame and roast until charred on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes. Place the hot charred peppers in a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
  7. Using a paper towel, rub charred skin off peppers. Remove and discard seeds and stems. Place 2 peppers, and any liquid collected in the bowl to a the bowl of a food processor. Add roasted garlic, plum tomatoes, vinegar, cayenne, remaining tablespoon olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper; process until smooth.
  8. Cut remaining peppers into 1/4-inch-thick strips; set aside.
  9. Fill a large stockpot with salted water; bring to a boil. Place pasta in water; boil until pasta is al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain in a colander; transfer to a serving bowl. Pour puree over pasta; toss to combine. Add basil, roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and reserved pepper strips; toss. Serve immediately, garnished with grated or shaved Parmesan cheese as desired.

Enjoy!

Jump the Gap! How to Live Fully Right Now

Posted on June 16, 2015 by - Acupuncture + Herbs, Detox, News, Nutrition + Food

“If your mind stops on the sword your opponent is swinging at you, a gap opens up; and in that gap your action falters. If there is no gap between your opponent’s striking sword and your action, the sword of the adversary will become your sword. A mind like a spark means the state of mind where there is no gap. When flint is struck, sparks fly at once . . .  There is no interval for the mind to linger . . .  If attention lingers, your mind is taken over by others.” Zen Master Takuan (1573 – 1645), from The Unfettered Mind

Taiso_-_Ronin_fending_off_arrows_cph.3g08655Are you living the life you want to live? Is there a gap in your mind? A falter in your action?

For many of us, there is a divide between the life we are living now and the life that we want to live. How do we jump that gap? A state of joy, balance and harmony involves the body as much as it does the mind, spirit and emotions.

As a healthcare provider, I look at helping my patients fortify their bodies to bring greater joy to their lives.

I advise all of my patients to have an annual physical that includes systems-based laboratory testing. This type of testing gives you and the doctor a comprehensive picture of your current state of health, and identifies nutritional imbalances and toxicities that underlay chronic disease.

  • Are you getting enough of the basic nutrients for maintaining optimal health?
  • Are you absorbing what you take in through your food?
  • Is your body eliminating toxins properly?
  • Are your systems in balance?

The answers to these questions can be found through some key medical tests. For example, an Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis evaluates the level of red cell membrane fatty acids. Imbalances in these fatty acids significantly affect inflammatory and other disorders.

Knowing your baselines will act as the guide for making important changes in your dietary and lifestyle choices, and reveal the nutritional supplements that will help you feel and be your best. Fortified with this information, I can recommend specific supplements and an acupuncture protocol that will help you thrive.

Doing this testing once a year is a key step in closing the gap between the life you’re living now and enjoying the life you want to live, with energy, clarity and balance.

LA_Featured_2We invite you to experience a state of being where there is no gap. We’re offering our first Los Angeles retreat, September 4 – 6. This retreat is unlike any we’ve ever done. Each participant will have personalized health treatments as well as enjoy dynamic group classes.