Health Tips from Oriental Medicine

John Blazevic, www.johnsacupuncture.com

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1. Relax: This doesn’t mean slumping down in front of the couch. It means calming the mind. Can you move with a calm mind while running for the bus?
2. Awareness: First develop a bodily awareness. Do recognize your tight areas? Why not? Awareness is your information source and intuitive sense, your inter-cellular communication. If you are not aware of your tense areas, how can you reach a higher state of awareness (i.e. energy)?
3. Feet: Work on them! Self-massage, reflexology, pedicures, foot baths, rolling the bottoms of your feet on a hard surface (golf ball, rolling pin, etc.) As people age poorly, the condition of their feet worsens. Why? The extremities have the worst circulation and since we use our hands more then our feet, voila!
4. Natural Life: You are a part of nature, so go with it instead of against it. Spend time outdoors. In the winter, do less and sleep more. Don’t use your computer at night, a time for quiet. Eat seasonally, locally, and a little for your cultural/genetic background. Try to eat organic.
5. Knowledge: You have an innate healing force. Your body wants to recover from illness. Let it. If possible, don’t overmedicate yourself. Save meds for when you really need them. Educate yourself about real health.
6. Stimulate the skin: Your skin is your lung. It breathes, absorbing and excreting. Especially for fair-skinned individuals, rub and scratch the skin (dry-brushing is good), and sweat appropriately through exercise, saunas, baths, spicy food.
7. Reduce Fear: It’s the primal emotion. We all have it at times. Conquer your fears to increase your longevity and will power. Education is one way.
8. Save your Energy: Chew your food, fewer cold drinks, rest, extra clothes when tired.
9. Posture: A lifted head and flexibility of lower back improves nervous system function. Tai chi, yoga, zen meditation all follow these principles for a reason.
10. Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Whether you believe in it or not, no longer matters. It works and has been proven to do so! There is already enough research done by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other scientific organizations. Please don’t lump it in with other forms of “alternative medicine” such as...psychic vibrational flatulence therapy.

There are no separate parts of you, such as mind, body, and spirit. You as a being, are comprised of all that and more. Everything you do affects every part of you and beyond that, everything you are a part of. Experiences ranging from drinking a glass of delicious wine to seeing a beautiful sunset and from the joy of holding your loved ones to having a great work-out affect you in every way.

(c) 2006-8 John Blazevic. Reprinting only with permission, please.