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!~