Stress is a natural and non-specific response our body experiences when faced with emotional or physical demands. It is a defense mechanism that was essential in our ancestry: Our fight or flight response. It protected us from predators and helped us carry on our life line. However, compared to our ancestors, in today’s culture we deal with many more stressors on a day to day basis. We see more negative stress induced on our bodies and our physical and mental health are paying the price. It can manifest in various ways such as:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Depressed immune system
• Digestive Disorders
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Increased frustration
• Increased PMS
• Tense muscles
• Insomnia

Shannon Larson R.Ac. will be providing a talk about how acupuncture can address these symptoms and offer a drug-free approach is to reducing the negative impacts of stress. 

Shannon Larson BFA, R.Ac., Doula,  Registered  Acupuncturist

Shannon holds a diploma of Dr. of Chinese Medicine from the International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Vancouver. Her studies in Chinese Medicine include clinical practice for her Doctor of Chinese Medicine at the China Medical University and Hospital in Taiwan. While Shannon’s interest in Chinese Medicine is wide ranging, her passion for women’s health has led her to pursue training in workshops by some of the world’s leaders in Chinese Medicine for fertility and obstetrics including Sharon Weizenbaum, Bob Flaws, Debra Betts and Jane Lyttleton. Shannon is also a member of the Acumamas team providing acupuncture during labour as well as doula services.

I love Chinese Medicine because it offers an alternative approach to treating health. It responds to the body as a whole. It sees a relationship between the health of the mind and the rest of the body rather than treating them as disconnected from one another. Acupuncture fascinates me because I am constantly amazed at the body’s own power to heal itself.

Find out how Shannon’s unique approach can help you attain optimal health in all facets of your life. For more information visit www.alchemyelixir.com

Dates: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm

Cost: $ 10 cash at the door. (Co sponsored with Choices Market)

Location: Alchemy & Elixir Health Group # 320-1026 Davie St. Vancouver, BC. V6E 1M3

Space is limited: Maximum 6 people per group. Pre-registration is required.

For more information and register for the class email: shannon@vancouvertcm.com or call Shannon directly at: 778-233-0074

Learn about the key herbs for optimal nervous system health, methods of application and home use and usable tips for minimizing common nervous system dis-ease. Tea sampling included…

Taught by Katolen Yardley, MNIMH, Medical Herbalist. Everyone is welcome to attend this information talk.

Date: Thursday, March 4, 2010

Time: 7-9 pm

Cost: sponsored by the Powell River Women’s Health Network, donations are requested.

Location: Powell River United Church in Powell River, BC

Qi Kung means “working with energy” or life-force. Qi Kung is a meditative practice, closely associated with the theory and practice of traditional Chinese medicine, which uses slow graceful movements and controlled breathing techniques to promote the circulation of subtle energy [”Qi” or “prana”] within the nervous system. This enhances the overall physical, emotional and spiritual strength of the practitioner. It is both healing and creates a felt, wholesome and meaningful connection with the universe.

In this class we will be doing Qi Kung “Resource Building”, which is about cultivating and expressing energy within your body and the foundational exercises for “Buddha Palm”, which is a powerful form Qi Kung for self-healing.

1 hour Qi Kung practice every Monday morning from 10 am (sharp) - 11 am.

Open to all - by suggested donation $10. Space is limited - preregistration required!

Location: Alchemy & Elixir Health Group, 320 1026 Davie St. Vancouver

To register email Matthew at: hiimori.windhorse@gmail.com

About the instructor, Matthew Richards…

Matthew has been interested in healing and counseling techniques for many years. This interest led him to complete a Masters in Philosophy from University of Ottawa [1997] with a particular thematic emphasis on communication, expression, ethics and issues around human embodiment. What resonated with him then, as now, were philosophies or “world-views” that stressed Affirmation and that had pragmatic and therapeutic applications. A spiritual awakening led him to begin formal studies and practice in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in 1995. In this religion Matthew finally found the system of healing and efficacious care for others he had been seeking my entire life. Since 1999, he has been formally teaching Buddhist meditation, thought and practice at temples in Canada and in the U.S.

 ~ written by Romina Taheri, Registered Acupuncturist in private practice at Alchemy & Elixit Health Group, Vancouver

TCM is the oldest continually practiced and professionally administered health care system in the world. It is a documented medical system spanning over 2500 years based on comprehensive philosophies, rational theories, clinically tested and empirically verified by over 100 generations of highly educated practitioners. Chinese medicine is a total system of internal medicine which is comprised of a diagnostic procedure based on signs, symptoms and treatment styles including acupuncture, herbal medicine, exercise, diet and meditation. Through this balance health is achieved and maintained.

The relationship between emotional stress and illness

According to TCM , an imbalance of energy (Qi) in a particular channel of energy or organ system can cause physical, mental and emotional symptoms. Emotions are mental stimuli that influence our body. Under normal situations they do not cause a disease. However, when they become excessive or when they are held on to over long period of time, they can become causes of illness. A very interesting feature of TCM is that the state of the internal organs affect our emotions. In other words, emotions can also result from an imbalance of the flow of energy and blood of the internal organs. It is therefore believed that each internal organ has a positive mental energy with certain characteristic and when they are affected by external stimuli, their normal flow disturbs and turns to an abnormal flow. In this view, emotions can be the cause or the symptom of a disorder.

• Anger affects the liver
• Joy affects the heart
• Anxiety affects the spleen
• Sadness affects the lung
• Fear affects the kidneys

What is acupuncture?

The technique of acupuncture involves placing hair-thin needles in various pressure points (called acupoints) throughout the body. Stimulating these points is believed to promote the body’s natural healing capabilities and enhance its function.

Why acupuncture works?

According to TCM the body can become healthy by balancing its flow of energy (Qi). This vital energy flows like river along pathways, or meridians, throughout the body. However, this flow can sometimes be blocked, like water getting stuck behind a dam. A disruption in the flow of energy can lead to illness. Approximately 2,000 different acupuncture points lie along the body’s channels of energy. The idea behind acupuncture is that stimulating these points with acupuncture needles or pressure relieves obstructions in the flow of energy, enabling the body to heal.

What is Ear Acupuncture?

Auricular acupuncture, or ear acupuncture is similar to body acupuncture but with an stimulation only to the external ear. It is a method of treating a variety of physiological and psychological health problems by the stimulation of certain acupuncture points on the external ear.

Today many practitioners use ear acupuncture based on the integration of 2 different models. Classical ear acupuncture that is based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine and another model based on the research of the French physician Dr. Nogier in 1950.

Join us for your Group Auricular Acupuncture treatments on Saturdays (pre-booked by appointment )from 10-11 am. To book your appointment please email us at info@alchemyelixir.com

Acupuncture for stress management from the Western medicine point of view

Research has indicated that acupuncture can be of therapeutic value in the management of stress, anxiety, depression and associated health problems. Psycholoical health problems like anxiety and depression are thought to be due to low levels of mood enhancing brain chemicals called dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin and GABA. Research has indicated that acupuncture can help to boost these mood lifting chemicals. Research has also indicated that acupuncture can influence the sympathetic nerve activity and lower stress. Excess stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system by chronic stress is known to cause the chronic excess release of stress hormones like cortisol which can interfere with brain chemicals like serotonin and other mood enhancing chemicals and makes us more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, anger, etc.

References:

Giovanni Maciocia, 2005. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. and Oleson, 1998. Auricular Therapy Manual: Chinese and Western system of ear acupuncture.

To book a clinic appointment with Romina Taheri, R. Ac.or for more information on Auricular Acupuncture and Acupuncture, visit our website at www.alchemyelixir.com

~ written by Katolen Yardley, MNIMH, Medical Herbalist

Resveratrol has been sold as a nutritional supplement for the last 5 or so years, yet the health benefits of this supplement are just now becoming more widely known, spoken about and recognised in mainstream media. Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol, an antioxidant compound found in many foods and plants such as blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, rhubarb and grapes…which is one of the reason studies cite the benefits of drinking a glass of red wine daily. Grapes naturally produce resveratrol on their skins as a natural defence mechanism to protect from pathogens, fungus, viruses and bacteria overgrowth.

As Hippocrates said, “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”, the plants, berries and whole foods that we eat and are grown in our local environment can also provide our human bodies with needed nutrients for our own immune enhancement, and protection from dis-ease. Recent research on resveratrol indicates benefits for general and specific immune enhancement, heart health, cancer (by inhibiting angiogenesis – inhibiting the development of new blood vessels which feed tumors), and inflammation. Studies also indicate benefit in reducing cholesterol in the body, namely by a reduction of LDL cholesterol (the harmful cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The antioxidant effects of Resveratrol are also widely known, resveratrol helps to neutralise free radicals before they can damage healthy cells and protect cells damaged from environmental pollutants. Resveratrol also helps to decrease COX1, an enzyme that increases inflammatory substances which promote tumor growth. Resveratrol shows an ability to enhance life extension and healthy aging in clinical studies and promote longevity.

Studies have shown that resveratrol is difficult to absorb, thus for best absorption, combine its use with other bioflavinoids such as lutein or quercetin. Discontinue this supplement prior to surgery and consult your health care provider prior to use in pregnancy and lactation. Consult your holistic health care provider prior to use if taking anticoagulant medications.

Health benefits of Resveratrol include:

• Lowering insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
• Enhancing longevity by reducing the risk of chronic and degenerative disorders
• Protection of blood vessel walls
• Decreased platelet aggregation, reducing the risk of heart attacks and stroke
• Helps to prevent or reduce plaque formation, a component in Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases, and prevent brain injury due to stroke, a neuroprotective agent
• Counteracts insulin resistance, offering protection from diabetes
• Prolongs the life of cells in the body
• Blocks compounds which cause inflammation
• Offers protection from cancer by interfering with the development of blood vessel formation nourishing a tumor

Dosage: Recent studies indicate daily supplementation of 500 mg of resveratrol or higher for full health enhancement benefits. Resveratrol may also help to promote weight loss, by suppressing estrogen production, thereby decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass.  To order Resveratrol capsules, click here.

Rosemary Essential Oil - Rosmarinus officinalis

Rosemary essential oil is an effective topical application for clearing congestion in conditions of allergies, colds and flu, diluted in a steam or hot bath, it helps to open the sinus cavities. It is a stimulant used to enhance mental capacities and combat fatigue, uplift the spirits and used topically for aching muscles, arthritis, rheumatism or sports injuries. Topically it can be added to shampoo to help stimulate circulation to the scalp and for hair loss. Avoid use in pregnancy, if epileptic or suffer from high blood pressure.

Herb Pillows

Sachets filled with medicinal herbs add a subtle scent to a room and more importantly, many aromatic herbs are gently calming and sleep inducing, ideal to place by a pillow at night for a deeper sleep. Any aromatic herbs with nervine or relaxant properties can be used in a sachet.

• 1/2 cup dried Lavender Flowers (Lavendula angustifolia)
• 1/2 cup dried Chamomile Flowers (Chamomille recutita)
• 1/2 cup dried Rose Petals (Rosa centifolia)
• 2 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Mix well and scoop into a cotton bag or muslin sachet.

Great for children and adults alike for stress and tension, the gentle scent will assist the body to unwind at night, and can also be used for its mild insect repellant properties.

To purchase herbal ingredients for eye pillows click here.