Wash away your worries

Are you aware of what you are actually eating when consuming fruits and vegetables? You’ve probably heard that our produce is chalked full of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Some people think that organic foods do not have any chemicals applied to them. This may or may not be true depending on where you get your produce from. In this day and age of production, and efficiency it is really difficult to get pure, and clean produce.

But, don’t worry you can eliminate over 85% of toxins and chemicals by simply- you guessed it- washing them! Sounds ridiculous but if you wash your veggies and unpeelable fruits under running water for 1 ½ minutes you will send most of the man made additives to your city’s municipal water processing station (down the drain that is!)

If that sounds like a lot of water, fill up your sink put about a tablespoon of baking soda in and dump all your fruits and veggies in and let them soak for about 10 minutes. (This is particularly good to do with strawberries!)

I find it best to do this as soon and you get them from the grocery store- soak them, rinse them, let them dry and put them in clean bags, then into fridge so they are ready to go when you need them.
~Think Vitality!~

I’ll give you fair warming!

Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture helps you to live in balance with nature. Most people are hiking the temperature up in their houses and offices, piling extra heavy blankets on the bed, and staying ‘out of the cold.’ To live in harmony with nature you should aim to get out in the cold! Experience the change of seasons and embrace the crispy air. Go for walks, or do early morning qigong. Worried that you might get too chilly? Try this heart warming recipe that will keep you nice and toasty from the inside out!

Caully Carrot Ginger Soup

5-10 organic carrots
1 stalk celery
½ head of cauliflower
5 cups Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth, or water
2 inch piece of Ginger root
1 small onion
Pepper and salt to taste


Bring water/ broth to boil on a large deep pot. Meanwhile wash all vegetable and start peeling (or scrubbing) carrots and throw them in the pot. Then grate ginger directly into the pot. Next chop celery into bite size pieces and add them in. Then chop cauliflower and onion into small pieces and add them. Let boil for 15-20 minutes or until all the ingredients are soft. Then use a hand blender and blend everything into a smooth creamy soup (this is where having a deep pot is handy to prevent splashing!). Or you can use a standard blender or food processor. Serve with a dollop of fat free sour cream or fat free plain yogurt and enjoy!

~Think Vitality!~

Top 10 ways to stay healthy and reverse the signs of aging

10. Stop smoking- smoking is one of the most toxic things we can do to our body; the sooner you quit the better

9. Eat right for your body type- metabolic typing; if you don’t know your type find out and live accordingly

8. Exercise daily- aerobic, and anaerobic we need them both

7. Spend time outside in nature- fresh air and sunshine, so pure and simple!

6. Buy most of your groceries from the perimeter of the grocery store- local grown produce and fresh meat

5. Get into your healthy BMI (body mass index) - for most people that means losing weight or getting taller!

4. Use meditation and relaxation- qi gong, tai chi, EFT, guided meditation; they’ve been around for thousands of years for a reason!

3. Get acupuncture, herbal medicine and/or other balancing therapies- time tested and proven to do the mind body and spirit good

2. Seek fine tuning of a professional- we can learn a lot from the internet but there are specialists who devote their life to health, and they can help you.

1. Think healthy thoughts! - The body follows the mind. Whether you think you are healthy or not… you’re right!

~Think Vitality!~

Geez, its damp cold!

As I headed off to my clinic this morning I made sure to put on a couple extra layers because fall is in full swing. I just returned from a weekend in Edmonton, my home town, and every time I return to Victoria I notice how damp it actually is here. This brings up the concept of ‘dampness’ in Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture.

Dampness is a condition that one can have in the body. Just like a rooms, towels, and sweater sleeve cuffs pulled out of the dryer too soon can be damp so can our bodies. It usually arises from improper digestion and assimilation of food or choosing the wrong food for our body types.


When we accumulate a lot of dampness in our systems it can cause many symptoms such as:
· Feeling of heaviness in the body, ‘brain fog,’ confusion
· Middle body weight gain, metabolic disorders
· Candida, fungal infections, yeast infections
· Gas, bloating, stomach discomfort, food sensitivities
· Allergies, depression, anxiety, frequent colds




Foods that cause dampness:
· Milk products (except yogurt)
· sugar and sweets
· white flour
· refined starch and highly processed starch products
· alcohol
· excess raw fruits (because of sugar) and vegetables
· excess mushrooms
· icy and cold beverages
· fatty, greasy and deep fried foods,
· excess fermented, yeast containing foods
· excess vinegar

If our spleen, stomach, and kidney systems are not working properly then we get dampness. By avoiding these foods we lessen the potential of creating this state of dampness.
If one comes in for acupuncture I would also work on the liver, spleen, kidney, lung, and bladder to make sure everything is in balance and drive out the excess dampness.


What else could you do? You can drink dandelion tea, it helps strengthen the liver and drain dampness. You can purchase dandelion tea; you don’t have to harvest it from your front lawn! Eat more that dry dampness such as garlic, onion, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, scallion, cayenne, basil, rosemary, dill, oregano, sage, parsley, cardamom, fennel, anise, clove, coriander, leek and chives.


Until next time, stay dry and…
~Think Vitality!~

It's Just in Your Head!

There is nothing worse then spending some good quality time with family and friends, laughing, and enjoying life when... all of a sudden you get a headache!



Headaches are one of those things that can really take enjoyment out of a nice moment and while I have seen many patients with mild to extremely severe headaches I never fail to notice how it affects quality of life.



Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine do an excellent job at reducing or eliminating headaches but it is crucial to determine what the 'root cause' of the pain is. Here are a couple:

1. Tension - usually affects the gallbladder, pain starts in the shoulders, rises up the neck and creeps around the corner to the temples, usually dull


2. Blood deficiency- can be hormonal cycle related, can get light-headed when standing up too quickly, liver and spleen may be unbalanced, can feel exhausted


3. Excess stomach energy- usually in the forehead, associated with high blood pressure, smoking, can affect vision, can have a bitter taste in the mouth and red face


4. Dampness- usually described as having a heavy feeling in the head, like a wet towel wrapped around the head, can be affected by weather

These are just 4 types of of headaches and acupuncture points and herbs used differ for all of them. All headaches usually respond well to

• keeping well hydrated


• reducing caffeine


• eliminating sugar and highly processed foods


• getting adequate sleep


• acid/alkaline balancing the body


• exercising

One must never forget that sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. So if you are feeling like your cranium is getting crushed and cranked and its making you crazy try food journalling.

Write down every single thing you eat or drink and how you are feeling throughout the day. I can almost guarantee that you will start to see patterns in when you get headaches, what foods and drink may trigger them, and how your stress level may affect them. Until next time...

~Think Vitality!~

Happy Halloween! Coffin Cold?

It has been a daily question in the last couple of weeks “What do you think of the flu shot?” I always feel like someone is handing me a grenade without the pin and asking me to juggle! The flu shot seems to have people very polarized and with very strong opinions.

Consider if you got the flu, is there a potential that it would cause death?

If you are in fragile health, over the age of 65, suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes, anaemia, cancer, immune system suppression, HIV, or kidney disease then the flu shot is a good preventative measure to protect you from the flu and its potential complications.

If you do not fall into that category and are of reasonable health then maybe you might want to consider other options. In the days of liabilities and lawyers I must stress to consult with your doctor and/or primary health care giver.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, Fall is when the body starts to wind down for the winter and draw its energy more inward. It is a time for more rest and recovery after a hard summer of expending energy and emptying peach cider bottles on the deck.

To naturally prevent cold and flu we must focus on the basics of good diet, sleep, exercise, and stress reduction. One big immune system suppressant culprit is sugar! At the first sign of cold or flu you should avoid all processed sugar. Another favourite of patients is to have spicy tea such as chai tea.

Here’s a good cold buster recipe:


2 cups of water
8 cardamom seed pods crushed
3 sticks of cinnamon, crushed
4 cloves
1 inch piece of ginger sliced thinly or grated
3 teaspoons of black tea (such as Darjeeling, or Ceylon)
3 tablespoons of crushed black pepper
Skim milk or skim milk powder
Honey to taste

Place water, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil.

Cover and lower heat to low setting and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add milk and honey and again bring to simmer.

Next, add the tea leaves, remove from heat and cover.

Let steep for 3 minutes and strain. Enjoy!

~Think Vitality!~

Cellular Damage

Well, it is official! The collective modern world is starting to suffer the wrath of technology and the machines are rising against us!

In a recent report California physicians have noted a sharp increase in the appearance of a one sided facial rash that extends from roughly the ear to the chin. Typical treatment includes corticosteroid creams that help reduce redness and swelling.

No, this is not the hostile takeover from super nano-bots rather a dermatitis caused by cell phone use! For some reason I find this amusing! Maybe its because of the sheer oblivion that what we are doing is actually causing harm to ourselves, or maybe because of the simplicity of the cause and the cure.

It is not known for certain but most likely the cause of the ‘cellular damage’ is the nickel used to make cell phones shiny that’s causing the problems. It won’t necessarily affect everyone but if you have skin that turns green when wearing inexpensive ‘gold’ then you may have to be careful.

What are we to do avoid using our cell phones? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to not use them directly on our faces because of EMR or electromagnetic radiation. Basically every electrical device gives off EMR and I think in the future we are going to see more complications due to it.

Try using the speaker phone function on your phone- people on the bus will love that! Better yet invest in a hands free wired headset. You eliminate virtually all of the EMR exposure by not being in contact with your phone.

Such is the case with traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture; the simpler the cure the better!

~Think Vitality!~

Wrinkle, wrinkle little star!

It’s a fact of nature; with time wine tastes better, fruit ripens, old grudges fade, and we get wrinkles! Well, what is a wrinkle?

Ever poke your finger in to a ball of dough? That elastic, springy feeling you feel is the gluten keeping the dough flexible and supple. Our skin also has the equivalent proteins that maintains the plumpness of our skin called collagen until one day, around peri-menopausal age those proteins start to diminish and the skin starts sagging and wrinkling.

What can be done? There is no shortage of creams, lotions, and anti-aging products on the market. But rebuilding collagen starts from the inside, not the outside. I encourage a facial exercise routine to maintain muscle tone and blood circulation to the face.

But if you really want to revitalize and rejuvenate your skin naturally cosmetic acupuncture is one of your best options. With the insertion of the tiny needles your body produces collagen from the inside that fills fine lines and wrinkles.

I spoke with a researcher who was working with a dermatologist in California to determine how exactly acupuncture produces collagen in the skin. While I’ll leave the details of ‘how and why’ to the laboratory experts I will continue to observe the amazing results cosmetic acupuncture produces first hand.

Remember that when you feel great, you look great!

~Think Vitality!~

Finally Fall Has Fallen!

It’s finally here- the season of autumn! While turkey dinners fill stomachs and unsuspecting pumpkins line doorsteps it is a great time to reflect practically about our health and the season.

In my acupuncture clinic this week many patients just getting, getting over, or fighting off a cold.

In traditional Chinese medicine we see patterns; patterns in nature. Every year I have seen people getting sick at this time of year as well as right before Christmas, 2nd week in January, and a couple other notable times in the year (I’ll give you ample warning as the time draws nearer!).

While in modern days we would associate this with ‘germs’ and gooey kids in close proximity, the ancients regarded this simply as a time of transition. A time when our energy, or chi starts to withdraw into the body for the oncoming winter (much like hibernation). I think the truth lies somewhere in between.

As the seasons change our bodies change. As the suns blazing energy decreases so does ours! We should adjust our schedules accordingly and sleep more, have tea instead of ice cold water, and cook soups and stews to warm our innards. (Soon I will post recipes of strange and delightful creations for the season, so stay tuned!)

But what if adjusting our lifestyle is just not enough? There are plenty of TCM herbal formulas that are very helpful in boosting our immune systems. I carry a formula called “Gan Mao Ling” which is a must have for the medicine cabinet. In fact I recommend everyone have it on hand for that crucial couple of hours when your start feeling a headache, muscles stiffness, and that impending feeling of getting the cold.

Until next time, sleep well, stay balanced, and…

~Think Vitality!~

Run baby Run!

As you wander the soggy city streets of Victoria you feel that fall is in the air. You’ll see the changing leaves, the falling horse chestnuts and the determined runners getting all set for the Royal Victoria Marathon http://www.royalvictoriamarathon.com/ that happens next weekend. It raises the question "Is running healthy?"
If you watch the finishing of any given run it's fantastic to see all the different people who are completing their chosen distance. If you stick around to cheer the very last runners you’ll see people who are giving their all in order to just finish. While I find it inspiring and exciting to watch these brave soldiers I do get quite concerned about the effects running may have on their bodies.

While running is a fantastic form of cardio exercise, it can be destructive to the knees, the hips, the ankles, feet, and sometimes the neck and back. But… here’s the good news… running is a very natural form of movement for us homo sapiens. In fact, we are able to ‘run down’ many animals because of our ability to sweat and stay cool!

So why are there so many running injuries? I see plenty of muscle tears, shin splints, tight muscles, and pulled soft tissue injuries in my acupuncture practice. The problem with running is that people typically build up their mileage too quickly! I have seen 18 week marathon programs that take you from walking to full 42kms! The human body is very adaptive but if you want to run and stay injury free you must slowly build up your distance.

Take your time and don’t be too easily influenced by others progress. Listen to your body. If you ever have to take pain killers before or after a run your body is trying to tell you something and you best listen to it!

So laces up those shoes, put on some flashing lights, and go for a nice run in the beautiful fall air!

~Think Vitality!~

I should probably just take it easy?

Research has shown that if you want to get the most life out of a machine you must 1) keep it moving, 2)move it regularily, and 3)use it gently.
For example your car; if you want it to last longer than the manufacturers warranty then you must follow those three rules and you'll have pretty good results. This is true for our bodies as well... except for rule number 3.
A long term study on the wear and tear that the human body can endure has shown that we posess the unique ability to get stronger, more flexible, and more adaptive with more intense stimulation. What does this mean? Unlike machines that will break down faster if you push them too hard our bodies actually change nuerological pathways, shift metabolism, and adjust blood circulation to become more efficient to handle the load.
In our days of relaxation, meditation, and "just take it easy" showing up in every health plan we can't forget that our bodies are designed to move. While relaxtion is very important it comes secondary to our natural state of movement. So run up a flight of stairs, bolt around the block, chase your dog around the yard, or power walk to work because our bodies are meant to move!

~Think Vitality!~

Wow, A Blog!

Well, the day has finally come where I too am blogging! It seems as if there is no shortage of people blogging on the Internet nowadays and some are really fantastic, and some are... well an indication that someone has way too much time on their hands. I am aiming to be somewhere in the useful and educational side of the blog scale, providing information from the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and acupuncture to those who are interested. I have been practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in a clinical setting for nearly 10 years and I have come to realize that education is the root of good health. We are surrounded by information all day long but more information is not always good. Practicing has also shown me that simplicity is key to being able to incorporate good lifestyle habits into our everyday routine. So, let's see where this blog will take us, and let's enjoy the ride!

~Think Vitality!~

Welcome To Our New Site

Welcome to the new web home of Coastal Integrated Medicine. Check back frequently for the latests blogging, news, articles, and for general information on acupuncture, herbal medicine, Qi Gong and your health.